Couple stoned to death in northern Mali, accused of affair

News

May 18, 2017

By BABA AHMED, Associated Press
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A local official says a couple has been stoned to death in northern Mali after extremists accused them of conducting an extramarital affair.
The official says Tuesday’s killing of a Tuareg couple in Taghlite was ordered by the former mayor of Aguel’hoc, who is now a jihadist. The official spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, saying the stoning was carried out by Ansar Dine extremists.
The group is mostly composed of ultraconservative Tuareg tribesmen.
Kidal National Assembly deputy Aicha Belco Maiga on Thursday confirmed the killing but had no details.
Al-Qaida-linked extremists took over Mali’s north in 2012 and pursued a strict interpretation of Shariah law before being pushed from strongholds in 2013. They still pose a threat.
Another couple was stoned to death in Aguel’hoc in 2012.